Overview of The American Night Watch Ministry

For those who wish to be doers, not merely hearers, of God's Word (James 1:22 ),

for those who want to love Christ by doing His commandments (John 14:23 ),

for those who desire to go beyond the milk to the meat of God's Word (Hebrews 5:13-14 ).

The American Night Watch is the Christian ministry of Rev. Sterling M. Durgy. This web site presents his writings and the writings of others in promotion of Scriptural Christianity and Scriptural Holiness -- Christianity based upon the sound interpretation of the Holy Scriptures in contrast to beliefs which are determined by emotion, whim, convenience, or fad.

The goal of this ministry is to help you to understand the teachings of the Christian faith more thoroughly so that you are able to live a victorious life of service to Jesus Christ in today's world.

Emphases of The American Night Watch Ministry

A Realistic World View:The world is in "night," a period of time when sin and suffering are a part of daily life. Much of the suffering in the world stems from the refusal of men and women to recognize God and His rightful rule, both as Creator and Savior, over human life. Some of the "darkness" of this "night" is created by false religious beliefs. Those who persist in sin bring suffering upon themselves and others. Those who love Jesus Christ reject the ways of the world to enjoy the benefits of membership in God's kingdom and escape the consequences of sin. (Matthew 5:3-4, John 2:24-25, Romans 13:12-14, Ephesians 4:17-18, Titus 2:11-15, I John 2:15-17)

Christian Confidence:The symbol of The American Night Watch is the "Morning Star" presented in the form of a Christian cross. The morning star, which we know as the planet Venus, only appears in the morning sky when the dawn is not far away. We believe that Jesus is called the "Morning Star" in order to indicate to Christians that the Kingdom of God is very near. The Christian who truly understands his or her faith is confident of God's victory in his or her life and, ultimately, over the sin, suffering, and death of this age. (John 16:33, II Peter 1:19-21)

Christian Joy:The experience of God is, even in a fallen world, a joyful one. The goal of God's work is to bless His people and make them happy. Although the Christian life is one of discipline and self-sacrifice, and Christians are not exempt from suffering, true Christianity offers in the enjoyment of God, pleasures that the non-Christian cannot even imagine. (Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 16:5-11, 63, John 10:10, Romans 8:28-39)

Scriptural Christianity: The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are God's personal gift to every person. They give us a true knowledge of God and spiritual things. They guide us to God, to His Messiah Jesus Christ, and help us to know how to live in fellowship with Him and with others. We believe that the presence of the Scriptures calls upon us to use our minds to study, understand, and apply the Scriptures in our daily lives, confident of the ministry of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Word of God. However, we also believe that, because the Holy Spirit was given to the entire church and not just to some individuals, and because through the ages God has given some individuals special gifts to help in the interpretation of Scripture, that we must interpret the Scriptures in fellowship with other members of Christ's Body, both those alive now and those who have lived in the past, in order to properly understand His Word. (Matthew 4:4, 5:17-19, 11:28-30, I Corinthians 10:11, II Timothy 3:16-17, I Peter 1:24-2:3, II Peter 1:20-21)

Practical Christianity:Christianity is meant to be lived out in daily life, in the practical matters of day-to-day living as well as decisions regarding the larger issues of morality and life. We believe that the Scriptures were given, not just to make us "smarter," not to give us the answers to all the questions we might ask, not as a "magical" book, but as a guide to daily living. Therefore, we explore ways to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in our daily lives, and to help others to do the same. (Luke 16:10, John 14:23-24, I Corinthians 10:31)

Spiritual Renewal:Christians are constantly renewed as they experience the ministry of the indwelling Spirit of God. This spiritual life is not dependent upon feelings. However, it is possible to know when one is in fellowship with God. When this is not the experience of God's people, either in their daily walk or in Christian service, they need to seek God anew through repentance and faith. The toleration of sin is an indication of the need for renewal. The refusal to seek God's fullness and all that He provides in cleansing and in enabling for Christian life and service also indicates the need for Christian renewal. (John 1:12-13, Acts 4:24-31, Romans 12:1-2, I Thessalonians 5:23-24

Spiritual Maturity: Christians grow in their understanding of the nature of God and in the knowledge of how to please Christ their Lord. They also grow more like Jesus Christ in their character as they walk with God. There is no growth in spirituality that is not dependent upon the presence and work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, that does not include love and service to others -- particularly those of the household of God, or that permits habitual, willful sin. ( I Corinthians 13:1-3, II Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 4:11-16, Hebrews 5:14, I John 2:1-6)

Traditional Families: The family is the basic unit for the propagation of the Christian faith. Christian marriage involves the union of two individuals of the opposite sex. Faithfulness to one another within marriage is a sacred commitment before God. Both husband and wife have a responsibility before God to minister to one another's needs and to raise their children to love and serve Jesus Christ. The church can help, but not replace, the ministry of parents to their children. Anything that diminishes or attacks the uniqueness or importance of heterosexual marriage or the traditional family is an attack upon Christianity and is in opposition to the purposes of God. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Psalm 78, Matthew 18:5-6, 19:3-15, Ephesians 6:4).

Citizenship Informed by Christian Teachings and Values: Christians are citizens of their families, churches, communities, and workplaces. All Christians are citizens of the Body of Christ in the world. Unless separated by sickness, distance, or persecution, all Christians are responsible to respect, fellowship with, and minister to other Christians. The mature Christian continually seeks to broaden his or her concept of service to Christ to touch all relationships and activities, even those outside the family and church, and to bring the benefits of the insights of the Christian faith to the society he or she lives in. (Matthew 22:21, John 17:15, Romans 12:1-13:14, I Peter 2:12-17)

WatchingBecause there is evil in the world that can deceive us and lead us into destructive ways of life, and because there are opportunities to serve Christ in this world, all Christians are called upon to "watch" in the "night" of sin, watching to avoid and oppose evil and to do righteousness, to serve Christ until Christ returns. (Mark 13:33-37, Ephesians 5:11, Titus 2:11-15, I Peter 5:8)

Theological Orientation

The American Night Watch is Wesleyan-Arminian; believing that Christian experience must be based firmly in the teachings of Holy Scripture. Thus, The American Night Watch interprets Scripture in a manner that is consistent with a traditional understanding of God's Word and with Christian orthodoxy as understood by believing Protestants. This is consistent with the position of Methodism historically, as seen in the following quote from the Methodist Articles of Religion:

"The Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the church . . ."
Article V-Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation, The Articles of Religion of The Methodist Church, as written in the Discipline of 1808.

We are also pleased to present the writings of some who do not stand in the Wesleyan tradition but whose writings reflect a sincere commitment to Jesus Christ and faithfulfulness to the teachings of God's Word.

We hope that the greater Christian community will feel well-served by this site, not just those who consider themselves to be Wesleyan. We ask you to prayerfully consider what is written here as we consider what God's Word means to each one of us today.

About Our Authors

E-mail Us

E-mail your comments, questions, and suggestions to us at: tanw@snet.net. We will read all incoming mail and will respond, as time permits, when we believe that a response would be appropriate and helpful. However, please note that, realistically, TANW cannot promise to respond to all mail.

"The American Night Watch" is a trademark of the Christian ministry of Sterling M. Durgy

Copyright 1999, 2000, 2003, 2008 Sterling M. Durgy. All Rights Reserved.
Permission is granted to reprint this page or any portion as long as all copyrights are included, this statement is included, the text is not altered in any way, and the text or reprint is not sold to the recipients.